She's a Pirate
by SugarPunch
Summary: "Bolin," she started. He snapped his mouth shut and caught her gaze. "I already love it." Pirate AU. Written for alyssialui's Pro-bending Circuit.
1. Chapter 1

The sun slowly and lazily broke through the clouds that painted the sky as the early morning started to rouse most people from their slumber.

Some, however, were already up and running, doing their absolute best to pack everything as their voyage would start again soon.

Opal Beifong was one of those people. She wasn't carrying big boxes of food and other supplies around, but she did carry a small bag filled with clothes towards the massive boat that lay in the harbor. Today would be her first time boarding it, despite having stared at it for a couple of days now. Usually a boat like that would've never stayed this long, as it always carried a crew with a mission, but apparently this crew decided to take a break for a couple of days.

That was how Opal had met them.

Her mother owed the local tavern that kept travelers from dying of thirst and the citizens occupied. It also attracted the pirates that boarded the enormous ship that immediately captivated Opal. As a child she had always loved the stories about pirates, so seeing a pirate ship up close was like a dream come true.

Moreover, the crew, or at least the important figures, had taken a liking to her mother's tavern. They also enjoyed Opal's company, telling her the amazing adventures that the four of them had lived through already. Despite their young age, they all had to deal with situations that varied from dangerous to incredibly deadly.

Luckily most of them were benders. All but the captain, miss Asami Sato. Asami, however, had swiftly demonstrated that she wasn't one to mess with when one of the other occupants was looking for a hook-up with her.

The man quickly learned that she wasn't fond of that sort of attention, although Opal was pretty sure that Korra, whom she later learned to be the Avatar, would've kicked the man out if Asami hadn't.

Korra and Asami had a lively relationship with each other. Not just because Asami was the captain of the ship and Korra basically her right hand in the matter, but they were also dating each other. Opal listened to the story as to how they exactly became a couple and was quickly intrigued.

The story itself wasn't all that romantic. Something about having to fight other pirates to find a hidden treasure and almost being swallowed alive by a kraken – leading to Asami confessing her feelings and Korra immediately returning them.

By the end of it all, it wasn't Opal who had responded to the cheesy lines, but one of the two brothers that always stayed close by their captain and Avatar. Bolin apparently loved cheesy romance stories, and although Korra's and Asami's wasn't exactly romantic, he kept saying that was his favorite.

The same boy was the one who had asked Opal to come with them. She had let it slip that she had always dreamed of sailing the seas when she was a little girl, and Bolin was the first to invite her on the ship. Asami and Korra quickly joined in, telling her she should at least have a look around. Mako, Bolin's brother, wasn't as talkative as the rest, but he didn't seem to be too against the idea.

Opal sighed as she opened her eyes again, only realizing she had closed them when the memory faded. It felt so weird and foreign to her, but at the same time, she trusted Bolin and the rest of the crew as if she had known them for years. As the days had passed, Opal felt the need to go with them grow stronger. It started at the pit of her stomach, but she felt it with her entire heart now.

It belonged to the sea. To the ship. To the lively crew that she had gotten to know in the past few days.

Her mother hadn't liked her idea at first, but she relented, even if it was just a rebellious phase of Opal. The girl had never asked for much, and Bolin and Korra had practically begged Sue for Opal to be able to travel with them. The woman couldn't refuse, knowing full well that her daughter would have gone anyway.

"Opal!"

The familiar voice of a certain energetic boy captured her attention, and she swiftly looked up to see Bolin waving to her from the side of the ship. His smile was evident on his face and although there was a lot of distance between them, Opal could still see it. He smiled so bright that she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging upwards, as she lifted her hand to give a small wave back.

Bolin saw that as a sign to jump over the railing of the boat, bending the earth underneath him upwards so he wouldn't break his legs. He then brought the small platform down again so he could face Opal on the ground.

"You came!" he began again, his eyes lighting up and his smile turning into a wide grin, as if he was a small child who had gotten candy for behaving so well.

"Of course," Opal responded. He was so adorable. "I can't have you guys starving to death, can I?"

Bolin's smile faltered a little as he suddenly remembered something again. "Oh that's right. You're going to be our cook from now on," he spoke out loud, causing Opal to giggle. He gave her a questioning look.

"I thought that was decided just yesterday?" the girl chuckled. Bolin sheepishly grinned at her and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you know… A lot of things get decided on a lot of days," he meekly replied.

Before Opal could say even more, she heard Asami's strong voice call out from the deck of her ship. It was admirable, really. "Alright fellas, everything's packed, so we're leaving in five! If you're not on board, we're leaving you behind!"

Bolin looked at Opal and she glanced back at him. Despite only knowing him for just a few days, she already knew what he was about to ask, so she nodded without even hearing the unspoken question. "Alright, hang on tight," he said, before widening his stance and moving his arms up.

The earth around them began to shift and a new platform was made. Bolin brought them so far up they only had to jump slightly to get on deck, and when they were, he carefully brought down the platform again. Opal was surprised to see him do that, to which he only responded with,"Can't leave a mess, we probably want to get back here again someday."

Korra noticed the both of them and quickly came over, greeting Opal like she was an old friend. Her arm was slung over the girl's shoulder and a smile was present. "Didn't get wet feet yet, eh?" Korra's smile turned into a grin.

Mako found his way over as well, crossing his arms as he looked down on the Avatar. "Don't scare her off now. It's just her first day," the boy said, earning a glare from Korra.

"Who said I'm scaring her off, pointy brows? You look scarier than I do," she jabbed at him, letting Opal go as she, too, crossed her arms.

Bolin laughed awkwardly as he walked past the two and grabbed Opal by the arm. "I'm gonna show her around, see ya later!" he said to his brother and friend, dragging a confused Opal along as he went to the stairs that led into the ship. Once they were down, he gestured towards one of the empty hammocks and looked at his companion.

"This will be your bed from now on. It only _looks_ uncomfortable, but trust me, you'll get used to it soon," he stated.

Opal eyed it skeptically, but she didn't speak up about it. This was the best she could get, so she just had to live with the fact that she would sleep hanging onto the ceiling. The girl dropped her bag to the ground next to her hammock and sighed a small sigh.

Bolin eyed her worriedly, a frown forming on his forehead. "I mean it – you'll eventually turn to love it, I'm sure!" he quickly said.

His friend shook her head and smiled, looking up into his eyes. "Bolin," she started.

He snapped his mouth shut and caught her gaze.

"I _already_ love it."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! Mod Cecille here again. I entered a writing tournament a week ago, and this is the first one-shot that came out of it. This is the first installment of many more to come, so if you're interested, buckle up and enjoy the ride! I will post all the other one-shots regarding this tournament as new chapters to this story.

I used the following prompts: (word) Voyage, (character) Opal, and (AU) pirates. My final word count, excluding the authors note, is 1409.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a dreading week.

Cooking hadn't been very stressful for Opal, considering she had a fair amount of experience in the kitchen. Even when it came to a new one with a different setting, she still managed to cook a full meal for every single pirate on the ship, receiving compliments from various crew members as the week went on.

The kitchen nor the cooking was the problem. It was everything else that came with being on a pirate ship for a longer period of time.

At first, Opal just tried to wing it. Bolin had showed her the ropes; Korra was actually very gentle when it came to the raven-haired girl; even Mako tried to help her out whenever she needed it.

Asami, however…

"Straight your back, cadet!"

"Focus, you lazy bum!"

"Is that what you call a knot, cadet?!"

Asami was a different story.

With a heavy sigh, accompanied by a thud, Opal smacked her forehead against the hard, wooden table that stood below deck. They had just finished eating dinner, but she was left behind to clean the mess they had all made. Luckily, Bolin helped her, seating himself across from her when he heard the noise not a second later.

"Hey, I know this can be frustrating… We usually never clean up after ourselves, but I'll help you with everything you need, okay?" he cooed, trying to cheer his new friend up.

Opal groaned, lifting her head up so she could look him in the eyes. "That's not it…" she muttered. "I'm fine with that. Customers always left a mess in the diner before."

Bolin leaned in closer, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Then what's got you down?"

The raven-haired girl fidgeted in her seat, trying her hardest to find the right words, but remaining silent when she couldn't figure out how she wanted to spill it. This, of course, caused the boy to worry even further.

"You don't wanna be here anymore?" he asked, his voice soft. He sounded very small, as if he was afraid of her answer.

Opal opened her mouth to say that wasn't the truth either, but when she really thought about it, maybe it did revolve around that. She had never figured pirate life would be this hard. She enjoyed it most of the time, really – traveling around the globe had always been one of her biggest dreams.

It was the captain who bothered her. The way Asami spoke to her… She didn't like it one bit. It was different from how she met the raven-haired woman.

"Opal…?"

Bolin sounded so fragile that Opal was afraid to speak her mind. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, even though it actually had nothing to do with the boy. She was afraid that maybe she would step out of line. Asami was captain of the ship, after all, so speaking ill of a woman who was in charge was a bit… Unnerving.

Still, when it came to the whole crew on the ship, she trusted Bolin the most. He was slowly starting to grow on her. Opal figured it wouldn't take long before she would start calling him her best friend. She was pretty sure he wouldn't mind it anyway.

Best friends told each other everything, right? Maybe he could help her out. Tell her it was going to be better. Brighten up her day a little.

"It's… It's not that I don't want to be here," she finally started. Opal straightened her back so she could look him straight in the eyes. "I love traveling. I've been dreaming of this ever since I was a kid, Bolin."

He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I just… I don't know. Asami was so lovely when I first met you guys, but now all she does is nag on me. It's frustrating. She's kind of taking away all the fun for me, if you catch my drift…" Opal finished, lowering her voice with every word she spoke.

Bolin listened intently, his eyes never hardening to tell her she should stop talking. He simply nodded again before he frowned once more, deep in thought.

"Well, in my own experience," he started after a short moment. "Asami is just that hard on everyone. She's still captain. People need to respect her, especially her own crew."

That _did_ make sense now that Opal thought about it.

"Newbies always have it rough because they usually don't know her that well. You already got past her hard exterior, but she still needs you to know she's actually the boss of you," Bolin added with a shrug. "If it bothers you that much, you could always… Go talk to her. You know how she actually is. She won't bite your head off."

He did have a point. Opal couldn't argue with his logic. "Must be tough being a female captain," she muttered. "Especially with her age."

Bolin sighed. "Yeah. People always look down on her a lot…"

Opal tapped the surface of the table a few times, licking her dry lips as she tried to decide whether or not she should go talk to Asami _now_. It might be better for her mental state if she got it off her chest.

She slowly stood, softly biting her lower lip as she still doubted herself. "Should I go up to her now?" she asked Bolin, just to make sure she wasn't interrupting something.

He looked up, a smile slowly spreading on his features. "Yeah!" he responded. "She's not very busy in the evening, unless a storm is brewing. Luckily we won't have any of that soon."

His encouragement was all Opal needed. Bolin probably knew what he was talking about, since he knew Asami longer than she did. Besides, her captain wasn't all that bad back in town. If what Bolin said was true, then she had nothing to fear.

Opal nodded. "Thanks, Bo," she smiled back, earning a very puzzled look from him. That soon grew into a very pleased one, his smile now replaced by the biggest grin Opal had ever seen.

"No prob, Opes," he responded. She mirrored his grin, then turned to leave the kitchen.

As she made her way up the stairs, Opal tried to contain her self-doubt, opting to push it aside so she could remember Bolin's comforting words.

 _Asami isn't as bad as she makes herself out to be. I know this._

Despite repeating that as her new inner mantra, Opal couldn't help but feeling nervous once she reached the captain's hut. For a second she thought of turning back around to run straight down to her hammock, but she was afraid that when she did, Bolin would be standing right behind her.

Or, at least, give her a questioning glance once she made it below deck again.

Opal sighed, lifting her hand to knock on hard wood. She could hear Asami's voice from behind. Was someone else in there as well?

Leaning closer, she tried to make out the two voices that filled the room behind the door.

"I swear, you're either very grumpy in the morning or extremely chipper. There is no in-between." That was definitely Asami. She sounded less stressed. Cheerful, even.

A second later, the sound of laughter could be heard. Opal frowned, trying her best to recognize the other occupant.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know who I'll wake up as in the morning. That's pretty bad."

Was that Korra? She should've figured both women were in each other's company. Opal lowered her hand again. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be the best night to talk to Asami. She didn't want to impose too much.

With a small sigh, Opal turned on her heels to return to her hammock.

Tomorrow, she could try again.

* * *

 **A/N:** The second "chapter" for the tournament is here! Barely on time, but I made it. Hope you enjoyed this little installment!

I used the following prompts: (dialogue) "I don't know who I'll wake up as in the mornings", (sound) laughter and (restriction) No use of the word "and". My final word count, excluding the authors note, is 1297.


	3. Chapter 3

The chilly morning at sea hadn't been very kind to a certain young cook. She had woken up late and rushed breakfast, got a few complaints here and there about it and was left with the biggest mess she had ever witnessed.

Opal had hoped Bolin would've helped her, but Asami had given him a different task with a lot of urgency, so he had to leave her to her own devices. That wasn't the worst part, however.

The worst one, to top it all off, was the fact that she lost a very important item. Even after cleaning the bomb victim that once was called kitchen and dining area, Opal could not find what she so desperately sought and found herself back on her seat where she had been the week before, still beaten and shoulders again slacked.

Sighing, Opal tried to recount her steps, but that wasn't very helpful at all. She couldn't remember where she had last seen the object of interest, nor where she could possibly have taken it. Without a clue or a lead, she was nowhere close of finding it.

So Opal opted to rest her head against her hand and groaned softly.

"Still mad at Asami?" a familiar voice asked. She looked up to see Bolin entering the kitchen, a small and playful smile on his face.

"No," the girl replied, waving with the hand she had used to rest her head on. "We actually talked the next day and now we're good friends."

She smiled softly to help Bolin realize everything was fine between the cook and his captain.

"Something else bothering you?" he pressed on, taking a seat opposite of Opal.

She sighed in response and nodded. "I lost something very dear to me and I can't find it," she explained. "I've looked everywhere in the kitchen, but it's not here. It can't be in my hammock either… Ugh, they always say it's in the last place you look, but…"

Bolin looked at her in contemplation, but a few seconds later he stood from his seat and darted to the kitchen counter. Opal followed him with her curious eyes, wondering what the boy was thinking.

"Sometimes you need a friend to help!" he explained with his trademark grin. "I actually have a good story about that."

The girl stood up as well and walked over to the counter too. She looked at him with questioning eyes. "Do tell," she replied, causing his grin to grow bigger.

"So…" he began, bending forward to search in the cabinets. "It all started when we were on a treasure hunt in the Si Wong Desert…"

* * *

"Man, this place is huge!" Bolin shouted as he jumped of the side of the ship and strategically landed in the sand. His bending was a big help and apparently inspired Korra to do the same. She landed right behind him.

"I know right!" she exclaimed as well. "It's like the heaven of all treasure hunters!"

Bolin chuckled and caught a glimpse of his brother and Asami, both finally catching up to their friends as they ascended the gangway. "Are you assuming there's a ton of treasure buried here?" Mako asked skeptically, causing Korra to turn on her heels. She casted him an angry glare.

"Of course not!" she replied. "But I wouldn't be surprised if there was more than one around these parts."

Asami sighed deeply. Bolin could see she was already done with the antics of the brunette and his brother. He raised his hands defensively and intervened. "Speaking of treasure, let's go look for the one we're here for, okay?" he spoke up.

He then looked over to Asami, who returned his gaze with a thankful look in her eyes. Bolin nodded.

"We have to go south for about a thousand steps. Then we should head west until we bump into a small oasis. Don't get fooled by any other on our path. That might be a trick of our minds," she explained.

Bolin noticed she sounded very tired, as if she was dreading the journey ahead. He didn't understand, considering treasure was something they all loved to look for and find. Granted, the last few times hadn't been a success, but the prospect of finding a hidden chest full of expensive goods had always sparked something in the four of them.

Being the worried little brother that he was, he tended to stay close to Asami while Korra and Mako both took leading positions upon themselves. They were stubborn enough to want to walk upfront, but they hated each other's guts so much that they stayed at least ten meters away from one another.

Bolin looked on in amusement, but he quickly noticed the gloomy atmosphere that came from his captain.

"Everything alright, 'sami?" he asked.

She briefly looked his way, then crossed her arms with a sharp huff. "No, but… It's fine, don't worry about it," she eventually spoke up.

The boy frowned slightly. He might not have been the brightest of them all, but he sure noticed when something was troubling a dear friend, and he couldn't bear to watch on while doing nothing. So he closed the distance between them a bit and kept his undivided attention at Asami.

"You can tell me, y'know? I promise I won't tell anyone else. Maybe I can help you," he softly said, trying to get her to talk.

Asami remained silent for a few minutes and Bolin kept quiet as well. He didn't want to push her. It wasn't until they shifted direction that the raven-haired girl started to speak.

"I lost something important," she simply stated. "But it doesn't matter. If it's meant to return, it will."

Hearing that broke his heart a little, because Asami's tone indicated she had already giving up on finding it. "I'll help you find it," he claimed, smiling reassuringly at her when she looked at him in slight confusion. "I know I'm not the most organized person, but I can help you look for it as soon as we get back on the ship."

Asami chuckled lowly, shaking her head in amusement. "You don't even know what I'm looking for or where I lost it," she pointed out.

Bolin simply shrugged. "Don't have to. You can tell me later once we found the treasure," he replied.

Asami nodded with a small smile on her lips, causing the corners of his mouth to tug upwards as well.

As soon as silence fell between them, Korra exclaimed something incorrigible. Bolin's bright green eyes searched for his friend and eventually found her jumping high in the air.

"It's here! This is our X!" she yelled at the both of them.

Mako stood by her side, but remained on the ground. He had his arms crossed in annoyance, but neither Bolin or Asami paid attention to that as they made their way over to the pair.

"Are you sure?" the raven-haired girl asked the brunette. Korra landed on the ground and nodded firmly.

"Absolutely positive," she said.

Asami looked at Korra and then shifted her gaze to Bolin. They both nodded at their captain in understanding, before taking their spot opposite of each other, a small patch of sand in between them.

Both moved their arms fluidly to the side, standing firm on their feet and their hands balled into fists. Thanks to the swift movement of their arms, both directing to a different direction, the sand in between them opened up and revealed a large chest hidden underneath.

Korra and Bolin, who had a perfect view of this, opened their eyes wide before directing the chest upwards with their bending.

The large object landed with a thud on the ground next to Asami and Mako, after which the latter burned off its lock thanks to his firebending.

The four of them grouped up around the chest and looked at it with varying curious expressions, until Asami stepped up and opened the lid. She revealed the inside, grinning widely as her eyes took in the large amount of golden coins and shining gems.

"Bolin," she spoke up, ignoring the screams of joy coming from the group behind her. The boy perked up and took his spot next to his captain. "I think I found what I lost," she told him.

"What was it?" he asked in bewilderment.

"My will to continue."

* * *

Opal broke down into a fit of giggles when she heard the conclusion of the story. "That actually sounds a lot like Asami. I can already picture her saying that in, like, the driest way possible."

Bolin looked at his friend in confusion. "Hey now, it was very serious! Apparently she wanted to quit being a pirate…" he replied.

This caused the girl to stop laughing as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, sorry. But she didn't, so it all worked out," Opal smiled.

He returned her smile briefly, before looking at her with worrisome eyes. "If we can't find your lost item, will you leave?"

Opal shook her head. "Of course not. I'd still be without it, and with no way of getting it back."

That seemed to help brighten his mood a bit. He gently nodded his head, before scrunching his face together in contemplation. "Hey," he said. "What did you lose, anyway?"

The girl perked up once he asked, realizing she hadn't told him from the start. He had just started looking without ever knowing what he was looking for. She found it strangely endearing.

"A necklace. My mom gave it to me on my birthday. It's the only thing I have with me that reminds me of her."

Bolin's eyes lit up, before settling his gaze on her collarbone. Opal shifted uncomfortably.

"… You mean, the one you are wearing right now?" he asked.

She looked down in horror, remained silent for at least a minute and hung her head low.

"… Yes, that's the one…" she admitted.

Bolin laughed in amusement. He was lucky that she found his laugh charming.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really suck at getting things done on time. I barely make it haha. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the third installment!

I used the following prompts: (dialogue) "It's always in the last place you look", (location) Si Wong Desert and (AU) Treasure hunting. My final word count, excluding the authors note, is 1675.


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